Question

New App

  • 23 December 2017
  • 42 replies
  • 859 views

The new app is terrible to use and makes what was a simple easy to use system over complicated, is there a way of using the previous App?

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42 replies

Userlevel 7
Badge +22
no you can not roll back to prior app. Per sonos in master thread some updates or coming fairly soon based on feedback in that thread.
JGatie also says that support for the issues with the new app is dwindling, yet nearly 3 months on, people are still signing up to voice their disapproval. Look at the reviews on the iOS App store from Oct onwards and you will see that JGatie is in a minority.
Userlevel 7
Badge +22
I don't believe he asked for an update on jgaite. I will stick with my post informing what is going on.
Chris, I wasn't responding to you. But the forum cartel have stated that negative support for the latest release is dwindling when it clearly is not as people are signing up to show support so I am keeping the vibe alive.
Userlevel 7
Badge +22
I do think it will dwindle once tweaks are made based on feedback.. I can’t claim others opinions. I personally give it a few more weeks.
Just got back home to the new app and I'm still scratching my head. It's different on every one of four devices. On my Samsung tablet, there's no bottom bar (My Sonos, Browse, Rooms, etc.) so that device is useless to me. If I don't start playing music from another device, I can't do a thing with that device.

I logged in for the first time just because this is so incredibly frustrating. Any idea when this will be fixed or where I should direct feedback?
Userlevel 7
Badge +22
Inhave to say I haven’t tried on my iPad to see tablet differences. No bar?. Have to check that out. I would expect tweaks coming next few weeks or so. Please leave any suggestions you have (no bringing back old version suggestion won’t work).
Here you go... no bar.

Hit the little bar at the top to lower the Now Playing screen and reveal the tab bar.
"Title bar" ??? There's a little grey bar at the top. Tapping that takes me here:

Userlevel 7
Badge +22
Try a swipe down on now playing screen
Tried that. I either get the Android menu (running apps, settings, etc.) or nothing.
Userlevel 6
Badge +6
So is this an example of: -

1 unintuitive or poor design. For example unlabelled bars or chevrons, with screens sliding in and out of view, and a lack of consistency with other screens which are selected by labled tabs. If so this would be the fault of Sonos’s software engineers.

Or

2 a failure of the users muscle memory. If so the fault lies with the user.

Just asking :D

Andrew
Userlevel 7
Badge +22
It would be an example of bad design mimicking non-multiroom native apps. Needing corrected in next release.
I've repeatedly said not having the tab bar visible at all times is the worst part of the new design. So yeah, bad design.

Nice try though, andrew. You were soooooo close! ?
Re: User issues. That's certainly possible, but I still don't understand why the UI would be completely different from one device to another. I have 1 iOS and 3 Android devices. This issue happens on one Android device, but not on the other two. One of the functional devices is also from Samsung, if that means anything.

FWIW, I've tried tapping all over the screen. Other strange stuff that happens;
- Multiple different taps on the Album Cover (in Now Playing) result in different screens. One time I get the "Add Music Services" UI, another time I'm prompted to configure Amazon Alexa. Most times, though, I'm prompted to set an alarm.
- When tapping the room (in red, at the bottom), it lists the two rooms I have configured in my home. I cannot select the other room without first selecting both rooms and tapping OK, then selecting the room at the bottom again and de-selecting the room that I don't want to manage, then tapping OK again.
"Title bar" ??? There's a little grey bar at the top. Tapping that takes me here:



At the bottom of the screen above is the Tab Bar. From that you can choose Bowse, Search, Rooms, etc. Right now you are on the More screen, which allows you to access Settings, Alarms, etc.
Userlevel 7
Badge +22
Interface should be same on all. All of them clicking the little arrow in top right corner or flicking the now playing down should all give you navigation bar at bottom. Not calling it a good design but all should be very much same if all on same version.
Userlevel 7
Badge +22
Ok some observations from tablet version. Ok none have the down arrow anymore just a little tab thing. Kinda dumb but I’m sure they will clear all that up next version

The browse section. So much wasted space. Seems like more could be going on here.
Userlevel 6
Badge +1
I've repeatedly said not having the tab bar visible at all times is the worst part of the new design. So yeah, bad design.
The worst part of the new design is having a tab bar navigation in the first place. Half the issues are a direct result of it.

Nice try though 😉
Awwww, I've got a puppy!
Userlevel 6
Badge +1
Awwww, I've got a puppy!
That's great! Hope it keeps you busy and of this forum for a while. 😉
Interface should be same on all. All of them clicking the little arrow in top right corner or flicking the now playing down should all give you navigation bar at bottom. Not calling it a good design but all should be very much same if all on same version.Indeed. And I am surprised that there has been so little comment on these threads about the fact that new app seems to be a deliberate harmonisation of the phone and tablet apps, which previously (if I recall correctly) were quite different.

Some consequences of this, it seems to me:

1. The limitations of the space available on a phone screen are artificially imposed on the tablet, hence the general feeling expressed in these threads that the app on a tablet does not make good use of the space available.
2. People used to the tablet app, which resembled the existing desktop controller, suddenly found they had to navigate to places that previously were all on a single screen (this is really just an inevitable consequence of point 1).
3. For new users, without the 'baggage' that the rest of us carry, a single look for all mobile apps is probably a good thing in itself. Opinions will differ on whether it is enough of a gain to justify the downsides.

I make no judgements on whether this was a good idea or not on Sonos' part, it's just my take on an aspect of the change. Has this been little commented on because nobody else thinks this is relevant?


.

That's great! Hope it keeps you busy and of this forum for a while. ;)


Talk about not getting the bit. :8